The Rules of Durrington Bridge Club (DRAFT)

Name 1. The name of the club shall be “The Durrington Bridge Club”, herein after referred to as “the club”.

Objects 2. The object of the club is to provide opportunities for the playing of social duplicate bridge. Membership

3. Any person who plays bridge to a suitable standard as deemed appropriate by the committee is eligible for membership of the club.

4. Subscriptions for ordinary members and temporary members will be fixed by resolution of a general meeting, provided that notice of intention to change such fee or subscription shall first have appeared in the agenda for or notice of the meeting.

5. All ordinary members, having paid their current subscription, shall be entitled to all the facilities afforded by the club. They shall be bound by the constitution, standing orders and other rules of the club.

6. The membership year begins on If after one month from that date, the member has not paid the subscription their membership will lapse forthwith.

7. The committee may decline to renew the membership of any member who has not attended a session in the past twelve months. Before the committee reaches its decision, the member shall be given 21 days written notice in which to respond.

8. The committee may invite any member who brings the club into disrepute, disgrace or otherwise behaves in a manner, considered harmful, injurious, or harassing to members of the club, to resign the membership. The member will have the right to present the case to the committee, and in the case of dispute, 2/3 of the committee must agree the behaviour of the member is detrimental to club interests.

9. Upon a person ceasing to be a member of the club he shall forfeit all rights to and claim upon the club and its properties and funds, except for any claim notified to the Membership Secretary in writing at the time of resignation or within one month of notice of expulsion being sent to him.

10. Every member of the club shall communicate to the Membership Secretary any change of their own address. All notices posted to a member’s last known address or email address shall be considered as having been duly given on the second day following the date of posting.

11. No proceedings of the club shall be invalidated solely because of the discovery subsequent thereto of some accidental omission to give notice. Management

12. The officers of the club shall include a chairman, secretary, treasurer. These posts must be held by three separate people. The minimum size for the committee is therefore three. The committee may also consist of a membership secretary, activity secretary, publicity secretary, and ordinary members.

13. The management of the club shall be deputed to the committee. The committee can require the withdrawal from the committee of any officer/member who has without just cause, absented themselves from at least two consecutive committee meetings. Such person will cease forthwith to be a member of the elected committee. The committee may appoint such sub committees as they consider necessary or expedient and may depute or refer to them such powers and duties as they may determine. Such subcommittees shall periodically report their proceedings to the committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with any directions that the committee may give. The chairman, secretary and treasurer shall be entitled to attend any committee or subcommittee of the club.

14. Any committee or subcommittee may act despite any vacancy thereon.

15. The committee shall have the power to appoint, pay and dismiss any contracted person as they deem necessary.

16. The treasurer will be responsible for the funds of the club which will be kept with a recognised bank or building society. Cheques must be signed by treasurer and chair or treasurer and secretary. The treasurer will keep an account of all monies received and paid.

17. The committee shall make standing orders to govern their own meetings and those of the committees and subcommittee of the club and may make regulations covering the conduct of officers of the club and the use of club facilities by members. Elections

18. At the annual general meeting an election should be held for the post of chairman, secretary, treasurer and other posts if there are members willing to fulfil those roles.

19. Should the membership of any person elected lapse in accordance with article 9 he will immediately cease to hold office; otherwise, all persons elected shall hold office until their successors are elected in the following year.

20. Any vacancies remaining from the annual general meeting or occurring during the year shall be filled by election at a meeting of the committee. At least seven clear days’ notice shall be given of all such meetings.

21. All nominations must be proposed by at least two members of the club and nominees must give their consent. All nominees must be ordinary members of the club. All nominations for elections at the annual general meeting should be in the secretary’s hand at least 14 days before the meeting. This provision shall be waived in respect of any office which the number of nominations is less than the number of posts to be filled and more over maybe waived if 2/3 of the members present at the meeting vote to do so. Any member retiring should be eligible for reelection to any post subject to the following. i. It is preferred that no person shall be a member of the committee for more than three years consecutively and no person shall hold the same office on the committee for more than two years consecutively. However, this may be waived by majority vote of the AGM. ii. A committee member may be dismissed from office by a unanimous vote of all the other committee members on grounds of a breach of the Constitution or bringing the club into disrepute. An explanation should be given to all club members without delay and to the next annual general meeting. Meetings

22. The annual general meeting shall be held in November, the date to fixed by the committee and not given to all members at least two weeks in advance. The AGM may be held online in exceptional circumstances.

23. The financial year for the club ends on the 31st October and the accounts for the club for the financial year must be audited by a suitably qualified person who is not a member of the committee and presented to the AGM.

24. The business of the AGM shall include i. Reception of a financial report to include the audited accounts for the proceeding financial year. ii. Reception on the chairperson of a report of the club activities during the previous year. iii. Election of officers. iv. Discussion of any motion of which 14 days’ notice has been given to the secretary with a proposer and seconder and which appears on the final agenda for the meeting. v. Discussion of any motion of which seven clear days’ notice has been given to the secretary. vi. Any other matters agreed to by the meeting.

25. Not less than 14 days’ notice must be given of any general meeting.

26. The committee may at any time order an extraordinary general meeting. The secretary shall convene an extraordinary general meeting within 21 days of the receipt of a written requisition signed by at least 30 members or 20% of all members, whichever number is lower, stating the purpose for which the meeting is required, or within such longer period as is stated in such requisition. The principal business of any extraordinary general meeting shall be stated in the notice of the meeting or in a preliminary agenda circulated at least 14 days before the meeting. The final agenda for an extraordinary general meeting incorporating any motions submitted shall be drawn up by the secretary, being available to any member at least 24 hours before the meeting. The business of a general meeting shall include any motion relevant to the subject of the meeting of which seven days’ notice has been given to the secretary.

27. The quorum for general meeting shall be 25% of the ordinary members. No business shall be discussed at an extraordinary general meeting other than that on the agenda.

29. The committee shall meet at least three times a year and the quorum, present at the commencement of the meeting and throughout, shall be 2/3 of the total number of committee members. 

30. Minutes of all meetings shall be taken and shall be open to inspection by any member of the club, on application to the secretary.

31. At all general meetings of the club every ordinary member present shall be entitled to one vote upon every motion, and, in case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second casting vote. Proxy votes cannot be accepted. Accounts and Audit 32. All members claiming reimbursement from the club will be expected to provide evidence of expenditure.

33. No member, except for services rendered, at the request of the committee, on any pretence, or in any number comment receive any profit, salary, or emoluments from the funds or transactions of the club.

34. If, at any general meeting of the club, a resolution for the dissolution of the club be passed by a majority vote of the members present, a poll of all ordinary members shall be held not less than one month, and not more than three months thereafter. If such resolution be confirmed by 2/3 of those voting in the poll, the committee shall thereupon, or at such future date as shall be specified in such a resolution, proceed to realise the property of the club, and, after discharge shall divide the residue equally among all the ordinary members or shall dispose of it in accordance with the resolution. The club may also be dissolved if insufficient members are found to fill the posts of chair, treasurer and secretary. Honorary and temporary members shall have no claim to any residue. Notice of any motion to dissolve the club shall be given not less than 14 days before the meeting. Interpretation and Amendment of the Constitution

35. The committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of these articles of constitution and of any regulations made thereunder, and the decision of the committee upon any question of interpretation or upon any matter affecting the club, are not specially provided by these articles or by any regulation made thereunder, shall be final and binding upon the members.

36. These articles of constitution may be added to, repeated or amended by a resolution of a general meeting, the intention of which shall have appeared in the notice of, or agenda for, the meeting provided that a majority of the members present vote in favour thereof. Voting shall be by hand, unless at least 10 members shall demand a secret ballot.

37. No member shall by virtue of being a member of the club have any more rights to compensation for injury, loss.